The song refers to the Icelandic Cod Wars, a series of confrontations during the 1950s and 1970s over fishing rights around Iceland, involving clashes between British trawlers, Icelandic coastguard vessels (referred to as 'gunboats' by the British press), and warships of the British Royal Navy.
The song probably refers to the Third Cod War, the most violent of the three 'wars', involving numerous incidents of net-cutting and ramming, with Icelandic ships ramming or being rammed by a number of vessels, including Royal Navy frigates.
The gunboat "Thor" was a real vessel, but it's not clear if all the incidents and vessels referred to in the song are real, or whether they're just intended as representative.
The line "Cry Harry! Cod! And England!" is a pun on a line from Shakespeare's "Henry V", in which the king exhorts the English soldiers to "Cry Harry! God! And England!"
The song refers to the Icelandic Cod Wars, a series of confrontations during the 1950s and 1970s over fishing rights around Iceland, involving clashes between British trawlers, Icelandic coastguard vessels (referred to as 'gunboats' by the British press), and warships of the British Royal Navy.
The song probably refers to the Third Cod War, the most violent of the three 'wars', involving numerous incidents of net-cutting and ramming, with Icelandic ships ramming or being rammed by a number of vessels, including Royal Navy frigates.
The gunboat "Thor" was a real vessel, but it's not clear if all the incidents and vessels referred to in the song are real, or whether they're just intended as representative.
The line "Cry Harry! Cod! And England!" is a pun on a line from Shakespeare's "Henry V", in which the king exhorts the English soldiers to "Cry Harry! God! And England!"